Construction of Animal Shelter in Georgian regions to commence

November 19, 2018

The Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia (MRDI) is to commence arrangement of the shelters for companion animals. The biddings for construction of the shelters for Kakheti and Samtskhe-Javakheti regions will be announced by Municipal Development Fund (MDF) by the end of the year, and for the other regions – next year. Shelters in all regions are scheduled to be constructed in 2019.

The Municipal shelter is a non-profit organization to provide management of animal population, while the companion is the animal that the human being keeps to meet the esthetic and social requirements. It is in need of taking care by the human being.

Large number of homeless animals is the issue that Kakheti region is facing to date, as this is the place where the risk associated with spreading of diseases and epidemy is high, and cases of human beings bitten by animals is also quite frequent here.

As per the information provided by Telavi Public Healthcare Center, 321 human beings in 2017 were bitten by dogs, and 224 out of the referenced number were children.

The Companion Animals Shelter will be located within the enclosed site and it will be equipped with the administrative and quarantine station buildings, veterinary clinic, lab, open-air cages and all the infrastructure required. Total cost of the project amounts to approximately GEL 715 thousand.

As per the international guidelines, there shall be kept five main following principles of freedom at the shelter: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury or disease, freedom to express normal behavior, freedom from movement, freedom from fear and distress.

The Shelter is obliged to provide recording of animals and statistics to reflect their number (turnover) within the shelter, as well as sterilization and immunization of all animals.

There will operate the 24/7 “Call Center” at Kakheti Regional Companion Animal Shelter, by means of which the calls will be made to deliver animals to the shelter.

The Shelter will take active measures for either identification of the patron of the animal or searching for the new patron. Along with the Animal Protecting Organizations it will conduct the information campaigns aimed at taking care of animals.